Board of Directors

ANNE LUCAS spent 15 years in corporate management before earning her MA in Systems Counseling and entering private practice as a marriage and family therapist. Her work with couples in all stages of relationship as well as her organizational skills made Collaborative Law a perfect match. Over the years Anne's practice has grown to include mediation, parent coaching, therapy, teaching and training. She is the Director and owner of The Evergreen Clinic in Kirkland which consists of an independent group of therapists, psychologists and prescribers all practicing under one roof who provide mental health services to the Eastside. She has a therapy practice where she specializes in couple relationships – premarital, marital, divorce, remarriage and partnership. She works as a Divorce Coach in Collaborative Practice assisting couples in creating healthy divorce options and post-divorce relationships, a parent coach for post-divorce families and as a mediator helping resolve disputes with creative solutions. Anne is a co-founder of the Seattle Collaborative Law Training Group training attorneys, mental health and financial professionals in Collaborative Law locally and across the country. She has served on the Board of King County Collaborative Law as President, is the past president, current Board member of the Collaborative Professionals of Washington, a statewide organization and Board member for the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. Anne is adjunct faculty at Saybrook University teaching Master's level students.

At The Law Offices of Robert J. Merlin, P.A., we are dedicated to using our experience to make a positive difference in our clients' lives. Through client education, a focus on out-of-court resolutions, and a passionate approach to our work, Robert J. Merlin and his associate and staff help guide families through the complex areas of family law and divorce.

Our practice is limited to family law, and we do not litigate any longer. We specialize in the Collaborative Process, mediation, direct negotiations and other methods to facilitate out-of-court settlements. We represent clients in dissolution of marriage matters, paternity matters, the preparation and negotiation of pre- and post-nuptial agreements and settlement agreements and we are available on a consultation basis to clients and other professionals.

Robert J. Merlin is experienced in Collaborative law, mediation and direct settlement negotiations. His firm no longer represents clients in contested litigation because very few cases should ever have to go to court and reasonable people should be able to resolve their differences without doing battle in a court. Bob would prefer to help his clients resolve their differences in a respectful and non-adversarial manner. Robert Merlin is a Florida Bar Board Certified Family Law Specialist, he is a Florida Supreme Court Certified Family Mediator, he has received numerous special trainings in the Collaborative Process and Peacemaking and he meets the IACP standards as a Collaborative trainer.

Kay is a Barrister in Admiralty Chambers. He studied law in City University of Hong Kong and was called to the Hong Kong Bar in 2008.

Kay’s main areas of practice include criminal law, personal injuries, company and commercial disputes, public law and human rights, medical negligence, family law, land, probate and shipping law.

Kay is currently one of the two Vice Chairmen of the Hong Kong Collaborative Practice Group, a member of the Hong Kong Family Law Association and the Committee on Criminal Law and Procedure of the Hong Kong Bar Association. He is also a trainer for advocacy courses conducted by the Hong Kong Bar and a part-time lecturer for the Department of Professional Legal Education of the Faculty of Law at the University of Hong Kong.

Kay was nominated as a finalist of the IBA Outstanding Lawyer of the Year (2018).

Attorney Adam B. Cordover is a leader in the Tampa Bay and international collaborative law community. He is a Board Member of the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals, serves as Chair of the Ethics and Standards Committee and Website Content Committee, and served as a past Co-Chair of the Research Committee. He served as President of Next Generation Divorce (growing it to become one of the nation's largest collaborative practice groups), Research Co-Chair of the Florida Academy of Collaborative Professionals, and he speaks at professional, civic, and religious organizations regarding the collaborative family law process. Adam is also one of 23 graduates of the IACP Leadership Academy.

Adam is a collaborative trainer and founding member of the Tampa Bay Collaborative Trainer (with whom he teaches 2-Day Introductory and Skill-Building Collaborative Courses) and Peacemaking Practice Trainers (with whom he teaches Practice-Building courses, i.e., how to make collaborative practice your day job).

Additionally, Adam is a co-author, along with internationally-renowned collaborative practitioner Forrest (Woody) Mosten, of an upcoming American Bar Association book on Building A Satisfying and Profitable Collaborative Law Practice.

Adam successfully spearheaded an effort of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit to push forward an administrative order recognizing and recommending collaborative family law (just the fourth such administrative order in Florida). Additionally, Adam was a collaborative attorney in Florida's first pro bono collaborative divorce. Adam also used the collaborative process to help same sex parties reach a settlement and become the first dissolution of marriage case in Florida to challenge the state's Defense of Marriage Act and Florida Constitutional Amendment banning recognition of same-sex marriage via an action for divorce.

Adam handles all sorts of Florida family law matters, including divorce, military divorce, collaborative divorce, paternity, child support, modification, enforcement, support unconnected with divorce, prenuptial agreements, postnuptial agreements, domestic partnership agreements, relocation, change of name, and adoption (including non-relative adoption, close relative adoption, stepparent adoption, second parent adoption, and adult adoption).

Adam is licensed to practice law in Florida.

Adam now practices exclusively in out-of-court dispute resolution with a focus on collaborative divorce and family law.

I am a family lawyer practicing primarily in the collaborative model. I am committed to changing the often-destructive manner in which people divorce and believe that the collaborative model offers a positive way to restructure and move forward. I am also committed to supporting the growth of collaborative practice in my community and worldwide.
I am a board member and past president of the British Columbia Collaborative Roster Society, a member and past director of Collaborative Divorce Vancouver and currently on the board of IACP. I am a co-chair of the Access to Collaborative Committee with IACP and a past chair of the Access to Collaboration Committee of the Roster Society. Access to Collaboration is near and dear to me. I have been a trainer of the introductory collaborative model in BC with the Roster Society.